'Memories of the Sword’ a welcome challenge for Jeon Do-yeon
In Park Heung-sik‘s martial arts epic “Memories of the Sword,” the most notable element of Cannes-winning actress Jeon Do-yeon’s performance is not her poignant emotion, nor her impressive sword action. It is her ability to do portray both while also playing a blind character -- without ever blinking or focusing her eyes. According to Jeon, it was an obstacle she had failed to foresee.
“I actually asked (Park) if we could change the story to let her (Jeon’s character Wol-so) see,” she said in an interview at a cafe in Seoul on Tuesday. But after some discussion, she and Park agreed that “blindness was the most effective way to convey that Wol-so was a woman who had lost everything and cut off all emotion.”
Actress Jeon Do-yeon (Lotte Entertainment) |
“Early on in filming, (Park) told me about what he wanted to show through Wol-so,” she said. “‘Hyeop’ (a spirit of justice) existed back then, and it exists now. But it’s become hard to find. (He said) he wanted to create a character who was unwavering in embodying that ‘hyeop.’ That helped me to understand the film, and Wol-so in particular.”
But for Jeon, the ultimate appeal of Wol-so was not her resolute belief in justice and loyalty, but her struggle to remain steadfast in her mission despite her love for Yu-baek.
Actress Jeon Do-yeon (Lotte Entertainment) |
Jeon’s filmography, spanning nearly two decades, testifies to her willingness to take on roles that are physically and emotionally demanding. “Memories of the Sword” also checks that box, with action scenes that required three months of hard sword-fighting training and full minute-long takes in which she had to express emotion while keeping her eyes dull and lifeless.
Actress Jeon Do-yeon (Lotte Entertainment) |
Despite that willingness and her star status, she said that good scripts were hard to come by. “I never know how long I’ll have to wait until my next film. It could be two years, it could be three years.”
Still, Jeon is content with her current path. “Acting is a joy to me, even when it’s hard,” she said. “I’m happiest when I’m living inside a movie.”
By Won Ho-jung (hjwon@heraldcorp.com)